This invention is related generally to overhead industrial light fixtures and the manufacture thereof.
A wide variety of overhead industrial light fixtures exist to serve needs such as factory and warehouse illumination and the like, and a number of advances have been made over the years. However, existing overhead industrial light fixtures have a number of problems and shortcomings, and it is to addressing such problems and shortcomings that this invention is directed.
One concern is that certain overhead industrial light fixtures of the prior art are unwieldy in size and shape, which makes their manufacture difficult and expensive. More generally, high cost and complexity of manufacture are problems of particular importance to manufacturers.
In the prior art, a variety of overhead industrial light fixtures are made using expensive die cast housings, and in some cases, complex housings are used to achieve various ends. In some cases, various external parts are required in order to support the electrical components; such structures once again, do not lend themselves to a pleasing appearance in an overhead industrial light fixture.
This invention addresses such problems and shortcomings.
It is an object of this invention to provide an improved method for manufacture of overhead industrial light fixtures which overcomes some of the problems and shortcomings of the prior art.
Another object of this invention is to provide a simple manufacturing method for an overhead industrial light fixture which has all components enclosed within a single housing.
Another object of this invention is to provide a simple manufacturing method for an overhead industrial light fixture which has a low profile, and which is compact and pleasing in appearance.
Another object of this invention is to provide a simple manufacturing method for an overhead industrial light fixture which is free of any external power-related components and component support structure.
Another object of this invention is to provide a simple manufacturing method for an overhead industrial light fixture which does not involve use of an expensive die cast housing.
These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following descriptions and from the drawings.
The invention is a method for manufacture of overhead industrial light fixtures of the kind which include a housing, power-related components (e.g., a ballast, a capacitor and an ignitor) secured within the housing, and a socket on a socket mount secured to the housing. The method of this invention is an improvement over prior art manufacturing methods for such light fixtures.
The method of this invention includes the following steps.
Before assembly begins, a housing top member is formed, such top member having a horizontal top wall (having one or more portions) with fastener-receptors therein and an inside surface. Likewise, a housing bottom member is formed for fitted engagement with the top member. Then, with the power-related components and any other components at hand, assembly proceeds.
Assembly involves placement of the top member in generally inverted orientation on a work support structure, with the inside surface of the top member facing upwardly. Then, each power-related component, e.g., the ballast, capacitor and ignitor, is placed on the upwardly-facing top-wall inside surface generally in its intended position. These components are then secured to the inside surface of the top member by engagement of fasteners in a common direction with a set of the fastener-receptors in the top wall. In other words, fasteners are unidirectionally applied to attach these components to the inside surface of the top member.
Assembly continues by placing the bottom member on the top member in inverted orientation. Then the bottom member is secured to the top member to substantially complete assembly of the fixture. When assembly is completed, the fixture is removed from the support structure.
Preferred embodiments also include placing the socket mount on the top-wall inside surface, and thereafter securing the socket mount to the top-wall inside surface by engagement of fasteners in the common direction with another set of the top-wall fastener-receptors. The placing and securing steps with respect to the socket mount are most preferably at generally the same time as the placing and securing steps with respect to the power-related components.
In preferred embodiments, the securing of the housing bottom member to the housing top member is by engagement of fasteners in the common direction with additional fastener-receptors in the top member.
The top-member fastener-receptors are preferably threaded holes and the fasteners engaged therewith are screws.
In certain preferred embodiments, the housing bottom member has a horizontal bottom wall with an outside surface and a plurality of bottom-wall fastener-receptors therein, and the method further includes the steps of placing a reflector on the outside surface of the bottom wall in inverted orientation and securing the reflector to the bottom member by engagement of fasteners in the common direction with the bottom-wall fastener-receptors. All the above-referenced fastener engagement motions have been unidirectional and downward, which significantly facilitates manufacture. Preferably, the bottom-wall fastener-receptors are downward projections included in the bottom wall, and it is preferred that the forming of the bottom member include stamping to form the projections.
It is preferred that the forming of the top member include forming a central top-wall portion and a pair of lateral top-wall portions which are on opposite sides of the central top-wall portion and are vertically offset therefrom. The top-wall fastener-receptors are preferably on the lateral top-wall portions so that the securing of each of the power-related components, and the socket mount when that is likewise mounted, is by engagement of fasteners with the fastener-receptors on both of the lateral top-wall portions. When mounted in this manner, the power-related components are bridged between the lateral top-wall portions, across the central top-wall portion.
The forming of the top member preferably also includes forming downwardly-extending sidewall portions which are integral with the top-wall portions, such sidewall portions including two opposed endwalls each of which extends downwardly from the top wall and terminates in an end flange. The end flanges have additional fastener-receptors therein, preferably one for each flange. The forming of the bottom member includes forming a bottom wall and upwardly-extending sidewall portions which are integral with the bottom wall and which, together with the downwardly-extending sidewall portions, complete sidewalls for the housing. The bottom wall has fastener holes in it which are aligned with the fastener-receptors in the end flanges of the top-member sidewall portions, facilitating the aforementioned engagement.
Most preferably, the forming of the top member includes bending a piece of sheet metal to form the junctures between the top wall and sidewall portions thereof, and the forming of the bottom member includes bending another piece of sheet metal to form the junctures between the top wall and sidewall portions thereof
Broadly, the method of this invention includes: (1) forming top and bottom housing members for fitted engagement with one another to form the housing, each of the housing members having a horizontal wall with an inside surface, the horizontal surface of a first of the housing members having fastener-receptors therein; (2) placing on a work support structure the first housing member with its inside surface facing substantially upwardly; (3) placing the power-related components on the inside surface of the first housing member and securing them thereto by engagement of fasteners in a common direction with a set of the fastener-receptors; (4) placing the second of the housing members on the first housing member in its fitted engagement therewith; (4) securing the second housing member to the first housing member to substantially complete assembly of the fixture; and (5) removing the fixture from the support structure.
Such broadly stated method preferably includes placing the socket mount of such light fixture on the inside surface of the first housing member and securing it thereto by engagement of fasteners in the common direction with another set of the fastener-receptors. As noted above, these placing and securing steps are preferably about concurrent with the placing and securing steps with respect to the power-related components. The securing of the second housing to the first housing, whether bottom to top or top to bottom, is preferably by engagement of fasteners in the common direction with additional fastener-receptors in the first housing member.
While it is highly preferred that the light fixture be assembled with its top and bottom members and all its components inverted, and that it is highly preferred that the components, including the power-related components be secured to the top member, manufacturing method, with its unidirectional fastening and assembly of components, can be carried out in other ways. For example, the components can be attached to the bottom member, which during assembly is on a support structure in its normal (non-inverted) orientation, In such case, the fastener-receptors would be in the bottom member. The preferred embodiment in which the socket is recessed within the housing can be accomplished by use of a U-shaped socket-mounting member which has the socket between the legs of the U-shaped member. After attachment of the components, the top member is then attached to the bottom member. All such fastening is unidirectional.
As used herein, the following terms have the meanings given below, unless the context requires otherwise:
In referring to an overhead industrial light fixture, the term xe2x80x9coverheadxe2x80x9d refers to fixtures which are typically mounted, directly or indirectly, on ceilings or overhead structural members of some sort, such as in factories, warehouses, etc. (regardless of purpose), or any other overhead structure put in place for the purpose of supporting a light fixture. The term xe2x80x9cindustrialxe2x80x9d is used in order to differentiate from residential lighting or the like. Neither of these terms is to be taken as limiting.
The term xe2x80x9cpower-related componentsxe2x80x9d includes ballasts, capacitors, ignitors and other devices for creating the proper electrical power usable for a selected lamp, such as high-intensity discharge (HID) lamps of various kinds.
The term xe2x80x9csubstantially enclosed,xe2x80x9d as used with respect to a space within a housing, means surrounded, but does not mean closed from the inflow and outflow of air. Indeed, as can be seen in the drawings, certain of the walls of the housing are heavily vented to allow essentially unrestricted inflow and outflow of air, for purposes of cooling. This invention involves enclosure of power-related components and recessing of the socket into the housing, and for these reasons cooling by convection flow is of great importance.
As used with respect to the socket, the term xe2x80x9csubstantially withinxe2x80x9d does not rule out protrusion of a small portion of the lamp-receiving end of the socket from the housing, through the socket window.
The term xe2x80x9clow-profilexe2x80x9d as applied to a lighting fixture means that the fixture is lower in profile than occurs when the socket is not recessed into the housing.
The terms xe2x80x9ctopxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cbottomxe2x80x9d used herein with reference to the fixture, or parts thereof, assume the normal use orientation of the fixture.
The overhead industrial light fixture of this invention, in its various forms, overcomes certain problems and shortcomings of the prior art, including those referred to above.